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File Transfer and Management

OnDemand provides a web-based FTP client that can be used to upload and download files to your OSC home directory or project directory, and move, delete, rename, modify permissions, and even edit files.

Here is a tutorial video that gives an overview of OnDemand's file management client's capabilities and how to utilize them.

Most of the operations available in the FTP client are fairly intuitive. Here you can see a screen shot of what the main interface looks like.

We'll walk you through a few of the basic operations. But first, please note that you may see a message about requiring a Flash plugin when loading this app. The application uses HTML5 to manage file uploads, so in newer browsers it should be safe to ignore that Flash message. On older browsers, it may be necessary to install Flash for full functionality.

Navigating

Selecting which File System

By default, the file browser will be looking at your home directory. If you have access to a project server for GPFS directory, you can switch to those by selecting the pull-down menu in the upper left of the window and selecting the file system you wish to browse. In addition, you can use the input field to the right of the pull-down to type the path you wish to navigate to, and you can set a bookmark using the "star" icon.

Switching folders

On the left side of the screen is a tree view of the directory structure. You can navigate this tree the same way you might on a normal desktop GUI to select the folder you wish to use.

Uploading and Downloading Files

There are several methods to upload files. The first is to simply navigate to the desired destination, and then drag the file from your local desktop or window navigator to the OnDemand window. You can also select "From computer" in the "Upload" menu item to open a dialog that will allow you to navigate your local computer and select which files you want to upload. If you wish to copy files from a website directly to OSC without downloading them to your computer first, you can select "From remote server" in the "Upload" menu to open a dialog that will allow you to specify multiple HTTP URLs to copy data from.

To download files, you must select the file or files you wish to download, and then use the "Download" link in the menu. If you select multiple files ("control+click" or "shift+click") or a folder, the server will zip the files up and download a single zip archive to your desktop machine.

There is a file upload limit of 1 GB. Additionally, performance of this tool for uploading and downloading large files is poor. Please see our documentation on Getting Connected for information on SFTP clients.

File Operations

Most file operations can be accomplished by selecting the file in the main window pane and either selecting the desired operation from the main menu, or right-clicking to open a context menu with various options. These options will typically include move, copy, rename, delete, and setting file permissions. Additionally, you can compress or download files via the context menu.

Viewing and/or Editing a File

The application also includes several built-in file editors. To access these editors and viewers, select the file you wish to view or edit, and select "Open In" from either the main menu, or the context menu (available via right-click). Based on the filename extension (.txt, .png, etc) the application will suggest an appropriate viewer. If you do not see the viewer you need, you can select "Choose Other...". This will open the following dialog: